state of the lds music union: overall analysis

Overall analysis:

Of course we have made progress, but I forsee that the next ten years will be significantly more challenging for the LDS music industry. There will be increased demand, but it will be fulfilled more and more by several small companies rather than a large Deseret/Seagull conglomorate. And Deseret will fight back, trying to buy out the little guys as they become popular. I predict that the songwriting and arranging styles will have to undergo a major overhaul in the next decade, and that LDS consumers will start becoming more discriminating in their tastes, so LDS musicians will have to rise to the challenge of producing higher quality music for which the LDS consumer will willingly pay. Overall, our industry is suffering from piracy and divisions within, and I do not see that those problems will be easily solved in the next several years. However, some will succeed, and they will be the ones whose focus is on sharing the truth more than turning a profit.

state of the lds music union: other considerations

Other Considerations:

• Marketing: It has generally become less ethical. Yet LDS people have also established a pattern of illegal copying, which makes real sales harder to make. This will be a big issue in the industry in the next ten years.
  
• Distribution: It is more widespread, and thus more competitive. The advent of self-distribution online is good for independent artists, but not necessarily for the quality of product received.
  
• Style overall: Too similar to what was available 10 years ago. We see many LDS songwriters but few great LDS composers.

state of the lds music union: vocal performance

Vocal performance:

Again, at the high end, we see that it has improved slightly, but the style has not changed radically. On the amateur hobbyist end, things are worse than ever because we hear so many more of them. (I should say at this point that I probably ought to consider myself an amateur hobbyist, but I do take pride in what I do and try to make it the best possible considering my resources.) I have not heard a new LDS singer/songwriter in the past 5 years whose voical stylings were irresistably wonderful beyond what is already available. So much is ptich-corrected, overproduced, and overcompressed (especially in the EFY subgenre) that actual vocal talent seems less of an issue today than it was ten years ago.

state of the lds music union: arrangements

Arragements:

I hesitate to say they are better. For recorded music, they require more gadgets. Synthesizers have improved, so the arrangements sound better in production. Some, like Mack Wilberg, Tyler Castleton, and Enoch Train, have certainly bloomed in their arranging skills in the last decade. But as far as the overall quality of most arrangements we hear, both on CDs and in Church, I think we are continuing to settle for less.

state of the lds music union: production and recording

Production values and Recording Quality:

They have increased and decreased at the same time. Part of this has to do with the reduction in cost for decent recording equipment and software. If I had started out doing what I do ten years ago, the technology I have now would have been far beyond my means, and I run a pretty bare-bones operation. It is possible to set up a home studio for $500 if you already have a computer. This means that more people have access to recording and distribution of music.

On the high end, production values have increased tremendously. You can listen to the current EFY CDs, and they are much better in sound quality and production than in 1997. However, a flood of amateur music is washing over the industry in general, and that is especially the case in LDS music where (as I mentioned above) the consumers don't seem to care about quality.

state of the lds music union: songwriting

Songwriting (as a craft):

Much improved. I am especially encouraged that more LDS musicians seem to be writing on themes of the Restoration. Looking a decade back at the songs of Michael McLean and other similar artists, many of them were quasi-ecumenical songs (pretty, but with not much doctrine) which were mostly designed to make the listener feel good. I sense that among the good LDS songwriters of today (and there are also plenty of bad ones, as always), we have learned to teach truth with more accuracy and boldness while improving the music to which it is set.

On the other side of the coin, the LDS consumer has been conditioned to accept and perpetuate musical rubbish simply for the fact that it is "LDS." Listen to KZION, for example (I do), and within an hour you will hear some lovely, well-conceived, well-developed music alongside some terrible, yet heartfelt, songs with four chords and lyrics that don't fit into the musical lines. Many LDS people are well educated in music, but consciously ignore their musical sensibilities when it comes to Church music. This was necessary ten or fifteen years ago because of the lack of good music, but we need to have a paradigm shift as a people and begin demanding excellence. We also need to become willing to pay for excellence when we find it.

state of the lds music union

On the LDS Musicians group, Michael R. Hicks proposed that we look back on the past ten years in the LDS music industry and reflect on our progress in specific areas. To avoid posting one huge block of text, I will post my "State of the (LDS Music) Union" address in topical segments, beginning with the preamble:

Disclaimer:

In 1997 I was a freshman in high school and I had never heard of EFY (I subsequently attended in 1998). I started seriously writing LDS music in 2000, but I did not do any performances of it in the U.S until 2004 or make any attempt at publishing until 2006. However, I am quite familiar with what is out there - when I go to Utah, I always stop in at DI and look for "vintage" LDS recordings, and I have analyzed much of the currently available repertoire with some detail.

Essentially, I am new, but not inexperienced.

First off, I think we need to define the difference between "LDS music" and secular/general Christian music by LDS artists. They are not the same. Kenneth Cope and Jon Schmidt, for example, have significant followings outside the Church because they produce a segment of their products for the general non-LDS public. In this analysis, I am talking about music specifically produced for and marketed toward members of the Church.

Now to the list...

new website

It's still in early development, but I am working on a new site, NoiseBox.net. It is a place where musicians and poets can get low-cost profile pages for people to sample their work and find out where to buy it. Still in the process of getting artists and poets on board (so far, I've just been working hard to get the site up and running). But that's one reason I haven't posted much lately. Also, my sister is getting married.

noisebox

New Noisebox today. This song had an interesting little process - David and I recorded our parts several hundred miles away from each other, and then I mixed them together here.



Volume 2, Issue 3
26 February 2007
Miracle of Faith

You have already heard the piano music to Nathan Howe's new solo Miracle of Faith on the YFE 2006 video from BYU Idaho. Now you can download the MP3 and hear the full song with vocals by David Macfarlane and piano by Nathan Howe through LDSmusic.us. Miracle of Faith celebrates the contribution of the early pioneers and the importance of building our own faith for the benefit of future generations.


Thanks for Listening.

ask dr. science

If you haven't heard of him, Dr. Science is one of my media heroes.

Listen.
Read.

free music?

On the discussion board at KZION LDS Internet Radio, John Hesch asked me:

"...Nate, can you please explain why you think that spiritual music should be given away for free? Why should an LDS artist like yourself give away your music just because you song is about our faith? I don't understand that way of thinking and you're not the first person I have heard this from. LDS authors don't give away their books, LDS movie producers don't give away their movies, LDS artists don't give away their paintings. As an LDS consumer I expect to pay for your music, art, books, etc. What I don't want to do is pay more for your music, art or books just because it is about our faith."

This is a question I get often, and a question with which I continue to struggle. I am posting my answer here as a statement of my current feeling on the subject.

Good question. I don't think all music of a spiritual nature should be just given away, but I do think that it should be accessible. At this point I choose to give mine away because I have reasonably low overhead and I can afford to do so. But any way you slice it, 17 to 20 bucks for a CD with one good song is highway robbery (pardon the pun). Sometimes the ones who really need to hear it are those who can't afford it.

I suppose it depends on the nature of the music and the goal of the artist. For fun songs or songs mostly for entertainment purposes rather than spiritual teaching, I have no problem charging whatever the market will bear. However, if I actually believe the concepts about which I sing in my so-called spiritual songs, I should share that testimony freely to all who would benefit from it. If I claim any degree of divine inspiration in writing a song, it should be primarily for the building up of God's kingdom.

There are production costs. There are administrative costs. I don't generally give away or sell my copyrights or place much music in the public domain. Music is still a business. I just feel that by allowing free access to the music and asking for donations, in time those with more resources will pick up the tab for those who cannot afford to pay. Call me a hippie public radio tote-carrying idealist fool. Maybe I am. At the moment, we are doing better than breaking even on web hosting costs, so I have no real complaints.

This is not to knock artists who use different business models. When I go into the studio to do session work, or when I teach private lessons, do I turn down my rightful payment? Of course not. I also encourage donations when people download my music, I do occasional commissions, and if I was offered a good job making LDS music, I would seriously consider the offer. If I decide to release a CD, I will certainly charge for it. But I will do my best to make it affordable, and I will always offer a good amount of spiritual music for free.

by popular demand

As a musician, I have a soft spot for music of the most terrible sort. I have to share more, once again with a stern warning. This is not for children. This is not for pets. This may cause your houseplants to wither. I am not responsible for this. I am simply giving you the opportunity to hear . . .

Florence Foster Jenkins singing The Queen of the Night

noisebox

New Noisebox today. I am really impressed with David's work on this. It's definitely worth a listen.

Noisebox 03 November, 2006
Vol. 1 Issue 15
New MP3 and new arrangement for Like Sunlight Gleams Thy Grace, O Lord

David Macfarlane has just released a rich new recording of his hymn Like Sunlight Gleams Thy Grace, O Lord. In conjunction with the release of the MP3, a new TTBB edition of the hymn has just been published. This hymn addresses the topic of grace in our relationship with Christ and its connection with faith and works. Access the new files through our hymns page.

Grate Music, LLC
http://gratemusic.com
http://LDSmusic.us

noisebox

Here is the latest Noisebox. I am quite excited about this recording. I did it several months ago, and it's nice to have occasion to post it.

Grate Music Noisebox
Volume 1, Issue 14
23 October, 2006: New MP3 for Emulation from Psalms of the 21st Century
_________________________________________________

We recently posted sheet music for Emulation by Nathan Howe, and even for accomplished pianists, it is difficult to get a realistic sense of the piece without hearing a choir sing it. To present it to the world, Nathan Howe has recorded Emulation with a choir composed of some of his closest friends - his alter egos. Head to the Recordings page to download and listen. Then feel free to Tell Us what you think.

the briefcase

I've been struggling the past few days to finish Miracle of Faith, a newly commissioned recording. In the process, I have had ample opportunity to explore the struggles associated with the use of older recording equipment. I am truly amazed at the quality of recordings made before the advent of virtually silent digital recording devices.

I have been using a Yamaha 4-track cassette recorder - a very nice, fairly professional model at the time it was made. I have used this device several times, and I can always hear the hum of the motor in the background. Arrgh! So this time, I devised a plan.

The room in which I was recording did not afford the opportunity to set the recorder outside the door to minimize the noise, so I stuck the whole unit inside a leather briefcase I found at a thrift store. I pressed record, slammed the briefcase shut, and played my parts. It worked remarkably well, although it looked like I was smuggling a bomb or something - there were wires and cords sticking out three of the sides. Wearing the headphones attached to this contraption, I felt like someone in an old spy movie.

finally, a music post

Today, I've been scrambling to get together a new piece for a promotional video. It's called Miracle of Faith, and it's about the legacy of religious pioneers. My current modus operandi for recording is to use a borrowed four-track recorder and a Radio Shack microphone, and then to import from that into Cakewalk on my desktop computer. The MP3s on gratemusic.com and LDSmusic.us were produced with more sophisticated equipment, but I'm hoping I can make this work. In a way, it feels great to start out small. That is, we can be small in capital without being substandard in the quality of music we produce.

So far in this project, I have written most of a song (by written, I mean scrawled a few words in a notebook), and I have made a lo-fi demo recording with a handheld digital voice recorder. However, the entire supposedly CD-quality project is due in 45 hours, so I'll let you know how the mad rushing goes and what the fruits are. I think Miracle of Faith may be the song for LDSmusic.us this week, but I'm not actually sure what we'll do.